How many acts of murder have each of us followed on a screen? What does that say about us? Do we remain law-abiding citizens who wouldn't hurt a fly?Film historian David Thomson, known for wit and subversiveness, leads us into this very delicate subject. While unpacking classics such as Seven, Kind Hearts and Coronets, Strangers on a Train, The Conformist, The Godfather, and The Shining, he offers a disconcerting sense of how the form of movies makes us accomplices in this sinister ...

A 24th-century master criminal and his team of specialist misfits must save humanity from a demonic alien invasion – one heist at a time.

This vintage volume contains a guide to growing peaches and nectarines under glass, with information on selecting varieties, common problems, pruning, training, and more. Complete with simple, step-by-step instructions and a plethora of helpful illustrations, this is a guide that will be of considerable utility to those with an interest in growing fruit at home, and it would make for a worthy addition to collections of allied literature. The chapters of this book include: 'Peach-House for ...

From one of the most admired critics of our time, brilliant insights into the act of watching movies and an enlightening discussion about how to derive more from any film experience.Since first publishing his landmark Biographical Dictionary of Film in 1975 (recently released in its sixth edition), David Thomson has been one of our most provocative authorities on all things cinema. Now he offers his most inventive exploration of the medium yet: guiding us through each elem...

“A marvelous bombshell of a book, by one of our most formidably knowledgeable and insightful writers on film, it is filled with surprises and witty asides. Though Thomson is quick to pounce on the hypocrisies and historical omissions of some of these war movies, there is nothing compromised about his own daredevil judgments. We are in the hands of a master critic/essayist.”—Phillip LopateFrom one of the greatest living writers on film, a magisterial look at...

The Divine Scales: Exploring the Justice of God is a captivating and thought-provoking book that delves into the profound and complex topic of divine justice. In this exploration, we embark on a journey to understand the principles, intricacies, and transformative power of God's justice.Drawing from diverse religious, philosophical, and ethical perspectives, this book invites readers to contemplate the concept of justice as a divine attribute. It explores how justi...

A deep—and darkly comic—dive into the nature of disasters, and the ways they shape how we think about ourselves in the world"In this brilliant book, David Thomson tells the story of how we came to make disaster and catastrophe our best friends—how we let terror cocoon and take over our imaginations to avoid seeing the things that really frighten us. Riveting and totally original."—Adam Curtis, BBC filmmaker and political journalist"Erudite. . . . Engaging. . . . A cri de coeu...

A ruthless dissection of American life in the late 1960s, Joan Didion's Play It as It Lays captures the mood of an entire generation, the ennui of contemporary society reflected in spare prose that blisters and haunts the reader.Set in a place beyond good and evil---literally in Hollywood, Las Vegas, and the barren wastes of the Mojave Desert, but figuratively in the landscape of an arid soul---it remains more than three decades after its original publicat...

This vintage book is a complete guide to growing pineapples under glass, with information on different varieties, problems and benefits, pests and diseases, planting, harvesting, and many other related aspects. With handy illustrations, simple instructions, and useful tips, this volume constitutes a must-read for those wishing to grow pineapples under glass. Contents include: “The Pine-apple”, “Pineries”, “Varieties of Pines”, “The Queen”, “Smooth-Leaved Cayenne”, “Black Jamaica”, “White P...

This vintage volume contains a complete guide to growing melons under glass, with information on construction, draw-backs and benefits, diseases and pests, planting, harvesting, and all other related aspects. Easy-to-digest and profusely illustrated, this timeless guide will be of utility to novice growers, and would make for a fantastic addition to collections of allied literature. Contents include: “Growing Melons in Dung-Beds or Pits”, “Sowing the Seed, and Management of Young Plants”, ...

The Big Sleep: Marlowe and Vivian practising kissing; General Sternwood shivering in a hothouse full of orchids; a screenplay, co-written by Faulkner, famously mysterious and difficult to solve. Released in 1946, Howard Hawks' adaptation of Raymond Chandler reunited Bogart and Bacall and gave them two of their most famous roles. The mercurial but ever-manipulative Hawks dredged humour and happiness out of film noir. 'Give him a story about more murders than anyone can keep up with...

In this wholly original work of film criticism, David Thomson, celebrated author of The Biographical Dictionary of Film, probes the many ways in which sexuality has shaped the movies—and the ways in which the movies have shaped sexuality. Exploring the tangled notions of masculinity, femininity, beauty, and sex that characterize our cinematic imagination—and drawing on examples that range from advertising to pornography, Bonnie and Clyde to Call Me by Your Name—T...